Walt Disney’s (NYSE: DIS) ABC pulled late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live “indefinitely” on Wednesday after Nexstar Media Group said it would preempt the program across its ABC affiliates following Kimmel’s remarks about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Nexstar, which operates 32 ABC stations, cited community standards in its decision. “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive… Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform… is simply not in the public interest,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in the company’s release.
ABC confirmed the network action to CBS News, stating, “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” without providing a return date or replacement schedule.
The pull followed public warnings by FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who said there was “a path forward for suspension,” adding, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
After Nexstar acted, Carr posted, “I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing… Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest.”
Sinclair, which operates ABC stations in 30 markets, said it would also stop airing Kimmel “until further notice,” would run a Charlie Kirk tribute in the slot, and called on Kimmel to apologize and make “a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”
Kimmel’s Monday monologue criticized attempts to politicize the murder and mocked former President Donald Trump’s response.
“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger pointing, there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism. But on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this,” the comedian host said. After which, the show featured a clip of Trump answering a journalist asking him how he’s dealing with Kirk’s death but then quickly pivoted in showcasing the work being done in constructing the new ballroom at the White House.
In an earlier episode after the assassination, Kimmel called it in his monologue as the “senseless murder of popular podcaster and conservative activist” and that he won’t ever understand some who are cheering Kirk’s death.
Context on corporate and regulatory posture appeared alongside the programming moves. Variety and Reuters both highlighted Nexstar’s pending $6.2-billion bid to acquire Tegna, which requires FCC approval.
This follows rival network CBS’s announcement of its cancellation of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, reportedly due to financial constraints. Critics point to the then-pending merger between CBS parent Paramount and Skydance that would need regulatory approval. Following this announcement, Trump hailed the decision in a Truth Social post, adding that Kimmel should be next.
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